Power Your Point

Power Your Point! With the down-turn in the economy, businesses are taking the opportunity to run training sessions and presentations for clients. So here are some tips ensure you do not suffer from ‘Death by Power Point’ at your next presentation.

    Research, Content and Delivery
  • Plan your research carefully ensuring it’s relative and factual.
  • Understand and know your material so that you can speak freely rather reading off your slide presentation.
  • Ensure the material you are presenting is targeted at your audience
  • Practice your presentation at least once
  • Speak clearly and project your voice to your audience
  • Show enthusiasm or an interest in your topic
  • Time your presentation for 10 minutes, with 5 minutes for questions (PowerPoint's Rehearsal feature lets you time your presentation)
  • Do not speak to your slides. Many presenters face the direction of their presentation rather than their audience.
  • When possible, run your presentation from the hard disk rather than a floppy disk. Running from a floppy disk may slow your presentation.
    Slides
  • First slide should include your presentation title, your name and date.
  • Use design templates or create your own.
  • Use colours that work well together (Be particularly cautious when using dark colours (such as red or blue letters on a solid black background—they may look readable on the computer screen but be unreadable when projected).
  • Be consistent with effects, transitions and animations.
  • Limit the number of slides (no more than 12 for a 10-minute presentation).
  • Do not apologize for any slide. If the content is hard to read, redo it.
  • Simplify and limit the number of words on each screen. Use key phrases and include only essential information.
  • Learn to navigate your presentation in a non-linear fashion. PowerPoint allows the presenter to jump ahead or back without having to page through all the interim slides.
    Text
  • Provide only key points on your slides, do not attempt to put your entire talk on the slides.
  • 7 words per line; 7 lines per slide is a good general rule -- nouns and verbs rather than sentences.
  • Use upper and lower case - DO NOT USE ALL UPPERCASE AS IT IS HARD TO READ.
  • Use clear, large, legible fonts for text.
  • Be consistent with the look and style of text for titles, bulleted points and sub-points.
  • Spell check your work.
  • Put references on the bottom of each slide to support your point.
  • Limit punctuation and avoid putting words in all capital letters. Empty space on the slide will enhance readability.
    Other Features
  • Use clip art, AutoShapes, pictures, charts, tables and diagrams to enhance presentation content.
  • Use a chart or graph to present statistics.
  • Vary the slide layout (Bulleted List, Two Column Text, Text & Chart, etc.).
  • Use sound and video when appropriate to content.
  • Avoid the use of flashy transitions such as text fly-ins. These features may seem impressive at first, but are distracting and get old quickly.
  • Overuse of special effects such as animation and sounds may make your presentation "cutesy" and could negatively impact your credibility.
  • Have a Plan B in the event of technical difficulties. Remember that transparencies and handouts will not show animation or other special effects.
  • Do not apologize for anything in your presentation. If you believe something will be hard to read or understand, don't use it.